Hiding in Plain Sight

I take full advantage of passing as an American in the US. I love sharing details about Brazilian culture, about the country, the food, but I also can hide in plain sight which is extremely convenient at times. While sharing is a lot of fun, and a great way to bond with others and make friends, it can also be extremely inconvenient and tiresome when questions become repetitive and are borderline prejudiced. I also understand that my ability to hide in plain sight is a privilege that not all international students have. I am a white woman, and my accent only ever makes an appearance when I’m talking fast or saying an unfamiliar word. This means that for the most part, my existence on campus isn’t questioned, and even if it is, it’s not necessarily with comments directed at me.

         I love that people feel comfortable, curious, and interested enough to ask about different cultures and experiences, however, I also understand that our campus community needs to improve in how they communicate with international students. Curiosity is natural and encouraged, but how we direct it at people needs to be improved. When asking a question about someone’s country, culture, habits, or whatever that may be a potentially sensitive subject, try to consider if this question could in any way be perceived as offensive before asking. Is it based on a stereotype you’ve heard before? That’s probably a good indicator that maybe you shouldn’t be asking that question as it could offend the person.

         As we live in the digital age, where everything is a Google search away, the best way to avoid any insensitive or potentially rude questions is to simply Google them first. Even if you are unsure about whether a topic could be perceived as rude to address, running a quick search could give you either the answer you need or at least some context so that you can approach any subject with more care and sensibility. International students love to share and don’t expect anyone to fully understand the complexity of their culture or habits, but we do expect people to show kindness and respect in their curiosity.

This interest in creating a more well-informed campus community should also come from university professors and instructors. According to a study by Kohli and Solórzano, the school curriculum continues highly Eurocentric - people from minority ethnic backgrounds or underprivileged financial conditions are forced to partake in an education that isn't inclusive of their needs, belief systems, and offers limited representation and unequal access to resources. This is something visible in the UCSB college campus, with classes that offer an exclusively American perspective on complex issues, or when students are made to choose new names in order to accommodate the lack of effort from others in learning how to pronounce their birth names. It's important that as a school community of both domestic and international students we keep pushing for a more globalized education by letting our instructors know this is an issue that could benefit all students, and that would foster an environment of healthy curiosity and conversation.

Kohli, Rita, and Daniel G Solórzano. “Teachers, Please Learn Our Names!: Racial Microaggressions and the K-12 Classroom.” Race, Ethnicity and Education, vol. 15, no. 4, 2012, pp. 441–462., https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2012.674026.